★★★☆☆ / Spoilers ahead!
Aiden Valen, I'll love you forever.
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Synopsis from Goodreads:
Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
Before everyone comes for me for a low rating here, the tropes are not my favorite. I don't love a slow burn, nor do I love when the MC has a kid/is pregnant and those are both present in First Time Caller.
Aiden and Lucie are both very well-written. While they embody the grumpy x sunshine trope, it seems very natural for both of them. Borison builds their tender worlds so intricately while keeping it very real and I would visit her other works solely for her characters.
I didn't find myself entirely invested in the story until Lucie gets stood up and Aiden comes to the rescue. After their 'date' night, I was locked in while they figured out what they should be doing and how they should be handling the situation with their given circumstances.
Another one of my favorite tropes is forced proximity, and a radio booth was such a fun play on it because it's intimate between just our two MCs, but the listeners are hearing their chemistry which made was playful and sweet. I loved that everyone got in on the two of them being together at the ending. It was a nice way to incorporate all of the vital characters, show community, and keep it emotionally satisfying. <3
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